'Beauty and the Beast': 5 things to know about the winter finale, 'Bridesmaid Up!'

How do you end half a season of murder, love and monsters? The "Beauty and the Beast" winter finale does it with plot twists and romance in its final episode before the new year, "Bridesmaid Up!"

As the title implies, the central event in this final episode will be a wedding. Cat (Kristin Kreuk) and her sister Heather (Nicole Gale Anderson) are busy bridesmaids for their father's wedding. In Cat's case, her hectic time is made even worse by a) a murder case and b) not having a boyfriend she can tell anyone about.

Because everyone knows that you can't be single at a wedding... And it's not like Cat can share Vincent (Jay Ryan) with the world.

The wedding isn't the only thing that happens during "Bridesmaid Up!" Unfortunately, to tell you about the multiple twists that come before the episode ends would be spoiling far too much. Instead, you will have to make do with these five "Beauty and the Beast" spoilers:

1) The Beast isn't the only "Vincent" in Cat's history of love. She also had a crush on a Victor Zalanski -- her kindergarten boyfriend. Apparently, Catherine Chandler has a type.

2) J.T. (Austin Basis) actually went to prom. Vincent semi-jokingly says he slept with her. This is probably a lie. Probably.

3) Evan (Max Brown) has an invitation to Cat's dad's wedding. He is not, however, going for the reason you would suspect.

4) Nobody says "We found the body!" with as much enthusiasm as Cat. Murder makes her kind of perky.

5) You may think fancy shoes are a girly and unimportant topic. This episode proves you wrong.

"Bridesmaid Up!". the winter finale of "Beauty and the Beast," airs on Thursday, Dec. 13 at 9pm on The CW.

Will we see a kiss between Beauty and the Beast’s Cat and Vincent anytime soon? — @FlamingJets I brought your question (and the dozens just like it, sent via Twitter!) to EP Sherry Cooper, and she said that Vincat fans waiting with bated breath for a proper (or better yet improper) kiss “are going to be pleased”… at some point during the back half of Season 1. “And we’re all pleased, too!” she shared. “Watching [an upcoming episode], I was all aflutter. I mean, we wrote it and I was like, ‘Kiss her!’

Beauty and the Beast Preview: Will Cat Go Public With Her (Literally) Top-Secret Fella?

This Thursday on the midseason finale of Beauty and the Beast (The CW, 9/8c), the wedding of Catherine’s father may evolve into a “coming out” party for a certain preternaturally pretty detective and her very secret gentleman friend.

“We’re trying to approach it from that relatable place of Catherine (played by Kristin Kreuk) just being a regular girl in the city, and all the pressures to couple up” for an event, executive producer Sherri Cooper tells TVLine. “We have all dealt with going to weddings by ourselves, but what do you do if there’s this guy in your life who’s supposed to be living in the shadows? What if you happen to be in love with a beast?”

Indeed, “regular girl” Cat, to fend off the other bridesmaids anxious to land the daughter-of-the-groom a date, “folds and lets slip that she does have someone in her life,” Cooper previews. “And now she’s got all this pressure to produce this person. So who is she going to bring?”

Raising the stakes are two things: One, that Vincent (Jay Ryan) of course really should not be out and about. But more pressing is the fact that Bridesmaid Up!Evan is at the wedding, freshly curious about the “new intern” (that would be JT) Tess saw in his morgue last week.

“Evan knows there’s some guy who was snooping around, and he’s going to do everything he can to ID him,” says Cooper. “So the question is: Does Vincent show up to the wedding? Does JT show up? Who is Catherine going to bring, and is Evan going to see the guy who was in his lab?”

Not to undercut the drama Cooper’s drumming up, but as seen in the above and other photos from the episode, Vincent does suit up to show his beastly, beastly face at the party. But is it just for a quick hello? And if spotted, will his presence raise more questions than Cat is able to answer?

“It’s all about the risk that they would take,” says Cooper. “Can this relationship go public? How far is each of them willing to go?”

To which we (and presumably many “Vincat” fans) must albeit rhetorically ask: What does it mean that these two are willing to risk so much to spend time together? Will it lead to a satisfying (read: shteamy) payoff at some point during Season 1?

As the drama’s freshman run forges on, “Things are going to heat up romantically,” Cooper assures fans.

Beauty and the Beast Midseason Finale: Will Catherine and Vincent Finally Kiss?

Will Beauty and the Beast's Catherine and Vincent finally reveal their relationship in public? They'll have their big shot on the midseason finale.

"Faced with the pressure that single women feel going to weddings alone, Catherine slips and tells [her friends and sister] she has someone in her life and so she has to produce him," executive producer Sherri Cooper tells TVGuide.com. "The question is does, Vincent show up under the guise of someone else and risk it? Does she bring someone else instead? Does she confess she made him up? The episode is a lot about risk."

In last week's episode, Cat (Kristin Kreuk) and Vincent (Jay Ryan) made major progress in both their relationship and in their discoveries. Cat learned that her late mother was involved with Muirfield and also the one who administered the life-altering drug to Vincent. "It changes her. She now knows what was black is white and what was white is black," Cooper says of this new knowledge. "The mythology will be reinvigorated with what's going on with Muirfield and they'll have a bigger presence in the back nine episodes."

Vincent, meanwhile, was given a serum that his best friend JT (Austin Basis) got his hands on in hopes of minimizing his blackouts. But did the potion really work? "It's put a pin in the fugue [states] for now, but he is not cured and will never be cured," Cooper says.

While Cat works to help JT cure Vincent, she'll also find that it's harder and harder to keep her mission from those around her — especially her partner at work, Tess (Nina Lisandrello). Although Cat has never been able to open up to people or really made many friends, Cooper says that will start to change. "There are a bunch of women on the show and we believe in female friendships and relationships and we are going to explore those," she says. "She has become more open, but it's hard because she's living a double life and to compensate for that. So who gets let in on what? We're going to explore that because people are going to start to catch on and start to feel betrayed if she's not opening up in certain ways. But Catherine is going to realize how far she's come."

As Cat and Vincent become closer, the question on everyone's minds is: When are they going to kiss and why haven't they already? Although they certainly looked like they were going to at the end of last week's episode, Cooper says it wasn't the right time. "Do you want your first make out session in a graveyard where your dead mom's body is?" she jokes, before giving fans some hope. "We are working towards that moment. Everyone gets very passionate about when it should happen, but unlike the other Beauty and the Beast , I don't think Catherine and Vincent even realized it was romantic. They just had this deep connection and it took a while until it even became aware that it was. And maybe it's not so bad to have people screaming, 'Kiss!'."

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- “Beauty and the Beast” star Jay Ryan will have a little time off from his The CW drama over the holidays, and after months of training and eating right to get in picture-perfect shape to play Vincent Keller, he’s ready to indulge in one of his favorite treats.

“We have this thing called Pavlova… Everyone is like, ‘What is that?’” he said of the North American reaction to his favorite dish to cheat with in his native New Zealand. “It’s like whipped egg whites and it kind of makes this like fluffy cake and they cover it in cream, and strawberries and it’s really light and sweet.”

But, before he dives into his Pavlova passion, there’s one last all-new episode of “Beauty and the Beast” this year — the midseason finale, airing tonight at 9/8c on The CW. And as fans saw on AccessHollywood.com last week, when we were first to unveil a new photo from the episode – it involves Catherine (Kristin Kreuk) in a bridesmaid dress and Vincent in a suit!

Kristin previously told Access the episode involves a little joking about how Catherine and Vincent should be each other’s date to the wedding, and Jay told Access there are some happy times ahead for the pair tonight.

“We get a little bit of happiness. I really love [tonight’s episode], because it’s got this almost kind of romantic quality, element to it in the beginning,” he said.

“But, yeah, it’s great because Vincent, at this point has been cured of the fugues. He understands what they are where they come from… So he feels that he’s got this under control so he takes this huge leap,” Jay hinted about what’s to come tonight.

But a cliffhanger is on the way.

“It’s definitely a big one. I don’t know how much to say about it. Maybe I’ll just say this to you. In [the episode], in the cliffhanger, you may hear the beast cry,” he revealed.

When Access first interviewed Jay back at Comic-Con over the summer, he told us his friends had given him some sage advice about the role, warning him, “Don’t stuff it up,” a New Zealand expression to get the role right. And recently, he told Access his friends are pleased with what they’ve seen so far.

“It hasn’t aired in New Zealand yet, but it’s about to in a couple weeks… They’ve seen bits and pieces on the internet and stuff, but I’ve got good big ups from crew in New Zealand and Australia,” he said.

When a show like "Beauty and the Beast" ends the first half of its fall season with not one but several cliffhangers, we can't just leave it at that. Fortunately, Sherri Cooper, one of the shows executive producers, shared a little bit about what's to come on "Beauty" in 2013.

Why did you choose to end "Bridesmaid Up!" with so many cliffhangers?

Sherri Cooper: It feels like that is a perfect way to end this fairytale episode. You think she's just going in the car and chasing down her guy... But of course it's "Beauty and the Beast." There's always danger at every turn. And she didn't get to say what she wanted to say to him.

It was a two-parter when we wrote this one and the next one. And of course, we're keeping up the curiosity.

Is anyone going to start to figure out anything about what's going on between Catherine (Kristin Kreuk) and Vincent (Jay Ryan)?

Sherri Cooper: One of them is going to be let in a little more to what Catherine is going through.

We saw that Tess (Nina Lisandrello) and Evan (Max Brown) began the search to find J.T.'s (Austin Basis) identity in this episode, but they didn't get close enough to find him. Is that a plot that's going to play out over future episodes?

Sherri Cooper: Yes, totally! We are planning a fun run with Evan. He's going to try to track down J.T. We will be sort of wondering, is he going to find this guy? Is going to find Vincent? What is J.T. going to do if he does find him? We're going to put all of that in when we come back.

We got a bit of a surprise in "Bridesmaid Up!" when Evan and Heather had their date. Is that something we can expect to see more of, or is this just a one-time deal?

Sherri Cooper: We always kind of thought that it would be a lot of fun if Heather had a crush. 'Cause, why wouldn't you? He's got that accent, he's a medical examiner... We're not planning a big, romantic arc with them, but Heather definitely has that crush.

And sometimes sisters have a crush on the same guy. It can be fun to explore that.

Will the future episodes continue to mix procedural elements with the long-arc romance and mystery?

Sherri Cooper: Obviously our audiences care about the relationships. I think they thematically tie, but the more we move into the season, I think they'll always be tied -- really tied. It will be a character connection, a mythology connection...

Are you planning on keeping the focus tightly on Catherine and Vincent, or will the other characters get more stories as time goes on?

Sherri Cooper: Totally. We are going to branch out, and I think that happens naturally on most shows. We love all of them. Yes, we have lots of other stories going on... But we start in all conversations with "What are Catherine and Vincent going through?"

Finally, where did you find those gorgeous bridesmaid dresses?

Sherri Cooper: I can tell you about the costumes. It was J. Crew -- they were J. Crew bridesmaid dresses!

In episode 113, we'll finally meet Joe's wife, the sharp and intelligent Miranda Bishop. When she shows up at Joe's office, she makes it immediately clear that she knows something has been going on between Joe and Tess. Expect to see a bit of a stand-off.

As we first scooped in November, Legend of the Seeker star Bridget Regan is joining the freshman CW drama in the recurring role of Alex, Vincent’s fiancée who had been left to think him dead. But as seen in the photo below, the good doctor is about to discover her love (and perhaps their love) is in fact quite alive. Take a look, then read below for preview:

“They would have gotten married had Vincent not enlisted and gone off to war. And then it was reported he had been killed, so, as far as Alex has known, Vincent died tragically,” Beauty exec producer Sherri Cooper tells TVLine. Reconnecting in the here and now — no, this photo is not from a flashback — “is going to bring up all these old emotions for Vincent, and bring up lots of emotions for Catherine and Vincent,” Cooper previews, all paving the way for “a really cool, explosive love triangle.”

Indeed, the chemistry between Regan and Beast Jay Ryan not only impressed the show’s producers, it sent Beauty Kristin Kreuk into defensive mode.

“When you see them on screen, it’s amazing,” Cooper shares. “The first time we saw them together in dailies, we were like, ‘Oh f–k. Of course he was engaged to her…. Oh no, it’s a good triangle.’ And Kristin’s very funny. She called us early on and was like, ‘I mean, I like her, but I can’t help it — I’m jealous!’”

Regan debuts in the Beauty and the Beast winter premiere, airing Jan. 24 at 9/8c.

Beauty And The Beast, the new version of the ’80s US show vaguely inspired by the classic fairytale (for instance, there were no cops or mobile phones in the fairy tale) starts tomorrow in the UK on Watch at 9pm.

Former Smallville star Kristin Kreuk plays Catherine Chandler, a detective who nine years ago witnessed her mother being shot the same night she is saved from her mother´s murderers by a mysterious man-beast. Her latest case leads her to Vincent Keller (Jay Ryan), an ex-soldier, allegedly killed in action. In fact, he was the subject of experiments that bring out the worst in him… But despite the obstacles a bond grows between them.

Here Kristin Kreuk talks about how much she’s enjoying her latest role, and the success it’s already been in the States:

What do you love most about working on Beauty And The Beast?

Kristin Kreuk: “I love working with the cast and the crew. This is a group of people that can sit and talk about the show and how to make it better, how to make the stories work, how do we make each scene as dynamic as possible. The producers have been really open to collaborating with us, which doesn’t always happen, so I feel very lucky that we can really bombard them with ideas and they’ll take it in.”

How does Catherine rationalise her relationship with Vincent?

“After Catherine’s mom dies her sense of justice is incredibly profound. Vincent is the ultimate injustice in her mind. She sees a man who has gone through so much and even though she knows he’s not right for her, deep down she knows she can’t walk away from him.”

What similarities do Catherine and Vincent Share?

“They both want to help other people to avoid the tragedies they both went through. As their relationship develops and they become more relaxed in each other’s company we start to see their humorous sides come out as they become more playful with one another.”

How important is the procedural element on Beauty And The Beast?

“The crime element of the show is prevalent in every episode and provides an interesting take on the traditional story of Beauty And The Beast. We have two female cops that work together who are kind of opposites, so this does end up providing a lot of the show’s humour.”

Are there universal themes in Beauty And The Beast that international audiences can relate to?

“Beauty And The Beast is about love. A love you build with somebody over time despite difficulties. It’s about looking past a person’s looks and chequered past to see their inner beauty.”

Catherine is interesting because she is not a style girl. So for her it’s all about practicality. Catherine has a relaxed attitude to fashion but she likes comfort above all things – a good flat boot so you can run and hurt people if you need to.”

What has been the fan reaction to Beauty And The Beast?

“People are already very intense about the show and we’ve only a few episodes in America and Canada so they’re responding well so far. They love Catherine and Vincent together. They like all the mythology and they want to know how everything develops. They’re rooting for the characters to be together, which is great, so they seem to like it.”

The CW has cast an actor from the Twilight Saga in a new recurring role.

Edi Gathegi (Twilight; X-Men: First Class) is joining the romantic crime procedural in recurring role of Kyle, a “composed agent for a top-secret organization with killer looks and instincts to match. He doesn’t like his time to be wasted, and can easily assess anyone’s weaknesses and happily exploit them.”

The casting comes on the heels of The CW’s entertainment president Mark Pedowitz sounding very bullish on Beauty‘s renewal odds, telling reporters, “we’re very pleased in terms of where it’s going creatively … We believe the show has a very long run in front of it. We’ve made no announcements about a second season. But based on the passion of the fans both on the E! Online and the People’s Choice Awards, we think we have something in this epic love story between Cat and Vincent.”

While star Kristen Kreuk was recently quoted as saying the show is very much about love: “A love you build with somebody over time despite difficulties. It’s about looking past a person’s looks and chequered past to see their inner beauty, ” she said. “Catherine sees a man [in Vincent] who has gone through so much and even though she knows he’s not right for her, deep down she knows she can’t walk away from him.” Aww…

Beauty And The Beast star Kristin Kreuk on the new show, airing tomorrow on Watch in the UK

Jay Ryan as Vincent Keller and Kristin Kreuk as Catherine Chandler in Beauty And The Beast

New US series Beauty And The Beast stars Kristin Kreuk of Smallville as Detective Catherine Chandler and Jay Ryan as The Beast, Vincent Keller. After Catherine witnesses her mother’s murder as a teenager, she was rescued by a mysterious creature and nine years later, a case leads her right back to him. The show is loosely inspired by the 1987 CBS series of the same name, starring Linda Hamilton, and is finally coming to the UK. We caught up with star Kristin Kreuk to find out more…

How does Catherine rationalise her relationship with Vincent?

“After Catherine’s mom dies her sense of justice is incredibly profound. Vincent is the ultimate injustice in her mind. She sees a man who has gone through so much and even though she knows he’s not right for her, deep down she knows she can’t walk away from him.

What similarities do Catherine and Vincent share?

“They both want to help other people to avoid the tragedies they both went through. As their relationship develops and they become more relaxed in each other’s company, we start to see their humorous sides come out as they become more playful with one another.”

How important is the procedural element on Beauty And The Beast?

“The crime element of the show is prevalent in every episode and provides an interesting take on the traditional story of Beauty And The Beast. We have two female cops that work together who are kind of opposites, so this does end up providing a lot of the show’s humour.”

Are there universal themes in Beauty And The Beast that international audiences can relate to?

“Beauty And The Beast is about love. A love you build with somebody over time despite difficulties. It’s about looking past a person’s looks and chequered past to see their inner beauty.”

Is there an item from Catherine’s wardrobe that you feel identifies your character?

“Catherine is interesting because she is not a style girl. So for her it’s all about practicality. Catherine has a relaxed attitude to fashion, but she likes comfort above all things – a good flat boot so you can run and hurt people if you need to.”

What has been the fan reaction to Beauty And The Beast?

“People are already very intense about the show and we’ve only aired five episodes in America and Canada so they’re responding well so far. They love Catherine and Vincent together. They like all the mythology and they want to know how everything develops. They’re rooting for the characters to be together, which is great, so they seem to like it”

Kearran Giovanni, who played Dr. Vivian Wright on ABC's "One Life to Live," will appear in a February episode.

A former soap star is heading to Beauty and the Beast.

One Life to Live's Kearran Giovanni, who played Dr. Vivian Wright on the ABC soap before it left the air, has booked one episode of The CW procedural drama, The Hollywood Reporter has learned exclusively.

Giovanni will play Lieutenant Joe Bishop's (Brian White) wife, Miranda, in the Feb. 21 episode, with the possibility to recur.

Repped by BRS Agency, she is a series regular on TNT's The Closer spinoff Major Crimes and guest-starred on USA's Royal Pains.

'Beauty and the Beast' Promotes Sendhil Ramamurthy to Series Regular (Exclusive)

He makes his first appearance on The CW drama Feb. 28; "Fans better get ready," says EP Kelly Souders.

Beauty and the Beast is promoting one of its own.

Sendhil Ramamurthy, who first appears as Assistant District Attorney Gabe Lowen on The CW drama in episode 15 airing Feb. 28, has been promoted from recurring status to a full-fledged series regular, The Hollywood Reporter has learned exclusively.

"We're incredibly excited to have Sendhil join the show. He brings so many layers to every role he plays, and his addition to Beauty and the Beast will send shockwaves through our characters' lives," said executive producer Kelly Souders. "Fans better get ready."

Gabe, described as "charismatic" and "ambitious," comes from the upper echelon of New York society. Strong on justice, Gabe spearheads the search for the vigilante and finds his focus drawn to the elusive NYPD detective Catherine Chandler (Kristin Kreuk).

Ramamurthy, best known for playing Mohinder on Heroes, joins the Beauty and the Beast family after more than two seasons as a regular on Covert Affairs and a guest stint last year on The Office.

This comes after THR broke the news that Major Crimes actress (and One Life to Live vet) Kearann Giovanni was joining in a potentially recurring role.

Beauty and the Beast, which was given a full-season order in November, returns at 9 p.m. Thursday on The CW.

Former Neighbours star Jay Ryan: I got my butt down to the gym for Beauty And The Beast

Actor Jay Ryan talks to Metro about going from Neighbours pretty boy to Beauty And The Beast.

If you’ve seen Beauty And The Beast, then you’ll know this new TV imagining is a long way from magic castles and singing teacups. ‘I got my ass down to the gym,’ says former Neighbours star Jay Ryan on prepping to play the very 21st-century Beast, victim of a military experiment gone wrong.

‘Since his beastly qualities are manifested from cross-species DNA, I went to town on creating physical traits that come from some of the fiercest animals on the planet.’When he’s not throwing his toys out of the pram, he’s the conveniently good-looking Vincent, an ex-soldier trying to re-integrate into civilian life. ‘I looked into stories from veterans returning home,’ adds Ryan. ‘How it felt to immerse themselves back into society and the mental and social challenges they can face.’

Happily, there’s Beauty (Smallville’s Kristin Kreuk) as, for all the conspiracy theory shenanigans, thematically Beauty And The Beast is still a love story at heart.‘It’s an epic romance set in a modern, high stakes New York City,’ says Ryan. ‘He is a man struggling to suppress this creature within him – which luckily for me means I’m only in the full Beast prosthetic make-up a couple of times a week.’

Until now, New Zealand-born Ryan has worked mainly in his native country and in Australia, including a three-year stint as Neighbours womaniser Jack Scully from 2002. Now that he’s on a glossy US production, does he feel all Hollywood? ‘Surprisingly not,’ he says. ‘It’s filmed in Toronto, and the crews in Canada have the same work ethic and way about them as back in Oz. I guess the only difference is the amount of producers you have on a US show. There are a lot. Every little detail of the production has to be approved by each and every one, so costume fittings and make-up tests can take a lot longer than they do back home – and, unfortunately, they are my least favourite part of this kind of work.

‘I guess I did get to tick a big one off the bucket list, though, and that was being on a giant billboard smack-bang in the hub of Hollywood Boulevard. That was… well, pretty Hollywood.’Next up you’ll see Ryan in BBC drama Top Of The Lake, co-starring Mad Men’s Elisabeth Moss and directed by former Oscar nominee Jane ‘The Piano’ Campion.

‘Working with Jane in our native New Zealand, with a smorgasbord of some of the film world’s top talent, pretty much ticked all the boxes for me,’ he enthuses, before revealing his most exciting project of all. ‘Later this year I am to become a father. Perhaps that’s my biggest challenge yet…’

On tonight's new episode of Beauty and the Beast, Cat learns that Muirfield is on to Vincent.

How does she react? By breaking up a romantic weekend between the beastly one and Alex, whose vacation in the woods is cut short. But can Cat lead the couple to safety?

Not exactly, based on the exclusive photo provided to TV Fanatic by The CW. Check it out now and, as always, return soon after "Cold Turkey" concluded for a detailed review of the latest Beauty and the Beast episode.

Shocking Still From Tonight’s Episode of Beauty and the Beast!Beauty and the Beast First Look: Alex Gives Vincent a Goodbye[Spoiler]!

February 14, 2013 07:00 AM PST

Tonight’s Beauty and the Beast (The CW, 9/8c) marks Bridget Regan’s final turn as Alex, who last was seen freaking the fluff out upon learning Vincent’s secret. But if she is about to exit stage left, it appears she will first give her ex-fiancée something to remember her by.

And no, that ain’t Cupid’s arrow jabbing into his neck on Valentine’s Day.

“Alex is a nurse who’s used to really high-stakes situations, so it’s not like she hasn’t seen truly horrible things in her life,” Regan told TVLine right before last week’s big reveal. “But what Vincent is dealing with is out of this world. It’s just so extreme.”

So, looking at this exclusive photo from the episode (aptly?) titled “Trust No One,” maybe Alex believes to have in that syringe something to soothe the savage beast? Or (gulp) something that will put him down, for good? (And what is with the look she is giving us?!) Share your theories in comments